COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sleeping in a bed is a luxury many of us take for granted. That’s why one group is making it its mission to make sure every child has a good night’s rest.

What You Need To Know

  • Bed Brigade of Columbus has been delivering beds to kids in need for more than a decade

  • The beds they deliver come with sheets, a blanket, pillows, a stuffed animal and a bible

  • The Children’s Defense Fund reports one in five children currently live in poverty in Ohio, a number that’s higher now than it was during the pandemic

President of Bed Brigade of Columbus Greg Finzer has been delivering beds to kids in need for more than a decade, but what started small quickly exploded.

“Initially, they thought we’re just going to build 40 beds,” Finzer said, “And then we will have done our duty, but since 2012, we’ve delivered over 6,000 beds.”

The beds they deliver come with sheets, a blanket, pillows, a stuffed animal and a bible. All of which, Finzer said, sets children up for success.

“The impact of a bed is different than even food, right? Because it’s like if you feed someone that’s great, but they’re going to be hungry at the next meal, right?” he said. “A bed is going to have a lasting impact in their lives.”

But the need goes even beyond Franklin County.

The Children’s Defense Fund reports one in five children currently live in poverty in Ohio, a number that’s higher now than it was during the pandemic.

“During COVID we had this tragic moment and a single year of payment of child tax credit and that kind of thing wasn’t enough to get people out of that of that experience,” said Guillermo Bervejillo, with Children’s Defense Fund.

Bervejillo said poverty in Ohio is caused by many factors.

“We make it harder on lower-income folk in the state to get by,” Bervejillo said. “We pay a higher share of their income taxes than the wealthy of Ohio do. And we’ve been cutting services to those people (in) education, infrastructure and so on for decades in this state.”

But it’s that need that’s kept Finzer going all these years.

“It’s wonderful to see how the kids go from being on the floor to having a bed,” Finzer said.